Oxbridge Interviews – Computer Science 21

Application

College (if made an open application, allocated college): Trinity Hall

Course: Computer Science

Year in (not for!) which you applied: 2003

Final outcome: rejected

Applicant

Qualification: A-levels

When did you apply in terms of your qualification? pre-qualification

Are you a home/EU/overseas applicant? N/A

What is your country of origin? N/A

What type of school/college do/did you attend? Comprehensive School

GCSE or a similar equivalent taken: yes (1 A*,5 A,1 B,3 C)

A-levels

A2: Chemistry (A at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

A2: Computing (A at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

A2: Mathematics (A at AS; predicted A; gained NA at A2)

A2: Physics (A at AS; predicted B; gained NA at A2)

Other universities

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, ‘on par’ or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) N/A

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

I wanted to challenge myself – I would of regretted it if I hadn’t at least tried.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

I had a look at both, but prefered the course at cambridge.

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

Small, friendly, centre of town

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? no

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? no

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? yes

I had to take the TSA (thinking skills assement). Be sure to check out their website and read the information on the test. Is very useful.

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

2 Interviews. One general, one subject specific

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

During the general interview I was asked a few questions to put me at ease, then a maths question and finally asked some questions about why I wanted to study computer science. The subject interview seemed like it was a never ending stream of maths problems, getting harder as they went.

What did you wear to your interview(s), and why?

A suit

Impressions

What was your general impression of the college that you applied to/any others you visited?

Lovely place. Everyone was really friendly

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Friendly

Generally, what were the college students like (from what you saw of them)?

We were taken to our interviews by student guides so got to talk to them about the college and the university

Final stage

Please describe what happened when you received the letter/the call telling you whether you had a place or not.

Was fairly sure that I was going to be rejected. The letter had a single sheet of A4 paper in it so was fairly sure it was a rejection.

Looking back

If you were to re-live that year of your life again, would you still apply?

Yes – quite possibly a different college though. If I didn’t apply I would regret it for the rest of my life.

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

Make sure you try and get a maths teacher to sit down with you and make you do some hard maths problems with them. Make sure to read up on your subject and any key ideas.

Suggested Resources:

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